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By the end of 2018 I will be a top contender

At AFC 22 on April 7, one of the Premier MMA gyms in the Country, XFC Australian Top Team, will release yet another protégé on to the professional mixed martial arts scene in the form of the dynamic Darcy Balhas.

Turning pro is a nervy experience at the best of times; but add to that the debut occurring on Australia’s #1 MMA promotion in front of a packed house of adoring fans, Darcy’s nerves are understandably running wild:

“Leading up to my pro debut I’m expecting a big turn up so the usual nerves are there, more so at night just before bed when I start to think about it”

I had the pleasure of watching Darcy compete on an amateur MMA show last year; and on the fateful evening Darcy ripped right through his opponent demonstrating a diverse range of striking and killer instinct to match. That amateur victory has given Darcy a heap of confidence as he prepares for his pro debut:

“Yeah I felt very good in the fight, training was spot on leading up to that so of course I was expecting to perform the way I did. Since being at XFC my MMA game just keeps improving, still a lot of holes that need to be filled in but I think I’m past the amateur stage and ready for the pros”

Darcy’s pro debut will coincide with a meeting with the ultra talented Dane Beeby who is seriously making his mark on the Welterweight division as of late. Showing maturity far beyond his experience, Darcy has done his research and had a good idea what will be coming on April 7:

“Yeah I did my research on him, always best to know who your fighting. I see Dane is a 1st degree black belt in karate which is impressive so I immediately know he’s going to have good defence and great kicks. I expect Dane to push forward and being a bigger guy he will use his reach to his advantage”

As Darcy mentioned above, Dane’s Karate is top notch and forms a significant part of his striking pedigree. Regardless, Darcy believes he has noticed holes in Dane’s game, which he plans to exploit when the two meet at AFC 22:

“I’ve watched Dane’s last two fights and I see holes in his game. I feel keeping it close to him and applying pressure while timing my shots will favor on my behalf”

Having done his research, and prepared accordingly, Darcy is confident he knows where he’ll have the key advantages in this fight, which will bring him the big ‘W’ in his pro debut:

“Dane has great kicks and he knows how to throw them, but he lacks boxing and I believe he uses his reach to assist in it but that’s all he’s got going. My boxing skills are a lot greater then his which will help. I feel I’ll have a massive advantage on the ground as well and if it goes there I’ll be looking for that submission straight away. This fight has a small chance of going the distance but either way the crowd will be in for a great show”

Darcy is confident he has the game plan and skill to deliver a victory at AFC 22. On top of that he also trains at one of the premier martial arts facilities in the entire Country, that being XFC Australian Top Team. You don’t get many better coaches and training partners then those whom Darcy’s has access too, and he plans to use their knowledge and tutelage to his full advantage:

“I will be doing all my training for AFC 22 with my team at XFC. The great master Kelly Seif is my head coach along side as Jamie Abdullah who’s been a big help with my wrestling as well”

Both Darcy and Dane reside in Melbourne, so neither really holds the hometown advantage. Having said that, Darcy has a massive support crew and he’s expecting them to be in full voice on April 7:

“I’m expecting a massive roar when I enter that cage and have my name called out. I have a lot of family, friends, and a lot of the guys from XFC expecting to be there cheering me on”

So with his pro debut just around the corner, Darcy is currently a little fish in a very big and dangerous pond. That being said, Darcy feels as though he’ll be a serious contender in the AFC Welterweight division in the very near future:

“I’d like to see my self as a big contender in this welterweight division. I’m a lot smaller then the other guys in this division but I’m here to prove its not gonna be an easy fight when you step in that cage with me. By the end of 2018 I will be a top contender”